Blessed

The Cardinals became the NL Central Division Champs before they took the field to play the Diamondbacks. We were just moments away from the Cards batting order when we learned of wholesale changes in the lineup. Our graphics guru did a wonderful job of correcting the lineup and defense graphics in a quick fashion. Apart from that mayhem to start the telecast, this was the first meaningless game of the 2014 season. We of the Cardinals TV team are quite blessed. Let me count the ways. Only one game of the season was meaningless. Every single home game had an attendance over 40,000. The team had a winning record for each month of the season - the only NL Central team with that accomplishment. The TV team is becoming quite efficient in covering post game celebrations. A member of the Arizona TV team said to me after we were off the air - "Do you know how lucky you are? I responded "Yes I do and I am grateful each and every day. I am blessed." Thanks to all who follow this blog.

Indifferent

The Cards had a chance to clinch the Central Division tonight in Phoenix against the last place Arizona Diamondbacks. It was almost like they didn't show up. A late 3-run homer won the game for the D'Backs, but I can't really say it was the difference in the game. The difference in the game was the indifference the Cards seemed to have in regards to the importance of the game. I guess they were waiting for the 162nd and last game of the 2014 season to become champs of the division.

Thank You Fox AZ

The Cards beat the D'Backs 7 - 6 in 10 innings tonight in Phoenix. I would like to thank Fox Sports Arizona for the nice gesture they gave to us at Fox Sports Midwest tonight. The Cardinals are in the playoffs and are trying to win the NL Central Division with only this weekend left in the regular season. The Diamondbacks are at the end of a losing season. Therefore, these games are of a bit more importance to the Cardinals. Thus, Fox Sports AZ made the decision to allow Fox Midwest to be the primary feed and Fox AZ to take a dual feed. Unprecedented! Thank you Fox AZ. I hope that one day we can reciprocate.

I See The Light

The Cubs beat the Cards at Wrigley today 3 - 1 in 2:41. Once again, even though the game was at Wrigley Field, there was nothing memorable about this game. Therefore, there was nothing memorable about this telecast. We are now flying to Phoenix for the final three games of the 2014 season. These three games are against the worst team in the National League if not all of baseball. The final three games. The final three games against one of the worst teams in all of baseball. The grind continues. Thank God for the light at the end of the tunnel.

Been There

The Cubs beat the Cards tonight in walk-off fashion 4 - 3 with a single in the bottom of the 10th inning. Even though the Redbirds have earned a playoff spot, they still are battling for the division championship so every game has meaning. For example, I know we are having more fun than the TV teams of the Twins and the Indians who played each other tonight in Minneapolis. The Cards have a 1 1/2 lead over the Pirates for the division crown with 4 games to play. Things are certainly looking good. Why then am I not excited to be part of this pennant race. Am I spoiled with all the success the Cards have enjoyed for the last decade? No, I am not spoiled with all their success. I am not excited because I know the Redbirds will win the division. Don't get me wrong - I love their success. I love the game of baseball. I'm acting like I've been there before. Because I have.

Not The Same Wrigley Field

28,893 fans showed up at Wrigley Field tonight to watch the Cards beat the Cubs 8 - 0 in 3:00. I don't ever remember a Cards/Cubs game at Wrigley Field in which there was no atmosphere but the was the case tonight. Any hope of a typical "electric" Wrigley Field during Cards/Cubs contest disappeared when the Redbirds went ahead 7 - 0 after the top of the 5th inning. Things only got worse when the Cubs used their September callups to finish the game. No atmosphere and AAA players is not the Wrigley Field I have come to know and love. I didn't enjoy tonight at all.

Thank You Baseball Gods

After last night's Reds/Cards game I pleaded with the baseball Gods to please give me a game that would not make me nervous. Therefore, I must thank the baseball Gods for answering my prayers. The Redbirds beat the Reds in 2:52 tonight at Busch Stadium by the score of 8 - 4. As you know, the homerun is a favorite of TV baseball directors to cut during a game. Well, the baseball Gods also gifted me with 4 homers in the game of which 3 were hit by the Cardinals. Off tomorrow because of ESPN Sunday Night Baseball and then 6 more games to end the season. Thank you baseball Gods!

No More Nail Biters Please

The Cards beat the Reds 2 - 1 in 2:35 tonight at Busch Stadium. The pace of this game is the pace all TV baseball directors love. This game was an absolute blast to cut tonight. However, the Reds had runners on first and third with one out in the top of the ninth inning. As a TV baseball director, I loved cutting the top of the ninth inning. As a Cardinals fan, I was none too happy about the situation. However, all TV sports directors MUST separate the team from the game. The primary responsibility of all TV sports directors is to respect the game. You have to cover the game with respect or the baseball Gods will bite you in the ass. That being said, a huge blowout game would be nice. How about Cards 8 Reds 1 tomorrow? Please.

A Fast 4:26

It took 4:26 for the Cardinals to beat the Brewers tonight at Busch Stadium. The final score was 3 - 2 in 13 innings but the game was decided by a managerial decision in the bottom of the 8th inning. The Brewers elected to remove their starting pitcher who was absolutely dealing at the time. This is not a case of hindsight is 20/20 because we all disagreed with the decision at the time. Sure enough, the Cards tied the score and eventually won the game. This exciting victory didn't seem to last 4 hours and 26 minutes - it was 4:26 of great fun.

The Best

This was the best game of the 2014 season for the St. Louis Cardinals. This was the best telecast of the 2014 season for the St. Louis TV team. This 2:32 affair had a great flow to the game and the show. Just as the starting pitchers for both clubs had great rhythm, this telecast had great rhythm. Our Producer wanted some rollout isolations of Cardinals players after the final out and they worked to perfection. Our super slo-mo camera operators were spot on and provided some of the best replays of the season. Busch Stadium was electric all game long. A great, great show all the way around. Absolutely the best!

Almost

The Cardinals were leading the Brewers tonight at Busch Stadium by the score of 2 - 1 as they entered the ninth inning. The time on the clock was 9:34 PM. The game was almost over. The Brewers, after a lead off walk, tied the score and the game went 12 innings before the Brew Crew prevailed 3 - 2. The Cardinals scored their first run of the game 4 batters into the game with a bases loaded walk. The Redbirds almost put the game away in the bottom of the first inning but were able to score only one more run. This game was almost over twice and instead it took 3:55 to play it out. The time on the clock was 11:10 PM.

September Baseball

The Cardinals were victorious over the Rockies today at Busch Stadium by the score of 4 - 1 in 3:03. For teams that are in contention like the Cardinals, September baseball is fun and exciting. Every game has meaning and this leads to many dramatic moments. The standings and the scoreboard are of great importance to every contending team and it's telecast. For teams out of contention like the Rockies, September baseball becomes similar to spring training games. Players are literally performing for next year. Expanded rosters allow managers to "try out" players as they look to the future. Just as spring training games suck to televise, September baseball games must suck for the non contending teams and their TV crew.

BIG

The Cardinals defeated the Rockies tonight at Busch Stadium by the score of 5 - 4 in 3:24. The Rockies scored 3 times in the 9th inning to make this game close but the Redbirds really dominated this game. This was another fun telecast for the St. Louis TV team. It is the hope of every sports telecast to make the show "big". Our RF camera operator does an outstanding job each and every telecast. This is important because the RF camera may be the most important tool we have to make the show "big". Whether it is used for beauty shots of Busch Stadium or used in game coverage with base runners or isolating the pitcher, this camera is a most valuable tool.

Nailed It

Matt Holliday hit the hardest ball I have ever seen in a baseball game in the first inning tonight at Busch Stadium. The 3-run homer in the bottom of the 1st inning set the stage for the Cards 5 - 1 win in 2:44. This was one of the better telecasts of the 2014 season for the Cardinals TV team. Just as Holliday nailed that ball in the first inning, our TV team nailed this telecast.

I Don't Know Why

The Reds beat the Cards today in Cincinnati by the score of 1 - 0 in 2:12. This was the best pitched game by both teams in a Cardinals game this season if not ever. Every TV baseball director loves good pitching which means low scoring which means a great pace. Yes, this game filled the bill in all these categories: great pitching, low score and great pace. However, for some reason this game didn't get the juices flowing. There really wasn't any "edge of the seat" moments in this game. I'm not going to say this game was boring but this game wasn't exciting and I don't know why.

You Never Know

You never know what you are going to see in a baseball game. Take tonight's game between the Cardinals and the Reds in Cincinnati. The starting pitcher for the Cards had been non verbally complaining about the home plate umpire's strike zone from the bottom of the first inning. He wasn't screaming or yelling. He was mostly just staring after a call he was questioning. In the bottom of the 3rd inning, however, the home plate umpire had had enough and he ejected the pitcher after a pitch when the hurler was standing on the mound. We did an In Sync replay the showed the umpire taking off his mask and telling the pitcher to "knock it off." The pitcher then said to the umpire (we read his lips) "Whatever". He was then tossed from the game. You just never know what you will see during a baseball game. You never know.

More Moments Coming

The Reds beat up on the Cardinals 9 - 5 in 3:33 tonight in Cincinnati. This was a poorly pitched and played baseball game most of the night. I was happy that the telecast was better than the game. We covered the best points of the game in a great fashion. A Cards rookie collected his first Major League hit and RBI and another Redbirds rookie recorded his first Major League strikeout. I guess that when the game is lousy nice moments such as these standout and, therefore, the coverage shines. As the season comes to the end there will be more and more of these moments. We will nail them.

Good, Sucks

The Cardinals continued their annual September surge to the Postseason with a 5 - 0 victory over the Reds tonight at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. I watched the "death" of the Brewers postseason hopes during the first 4 games of this road trip. Tonight I watched the post funeral of the Cincinnati Reds. The remaining games of the 2014 season for the Cardinals include games with the 5 of the worst teams in the National League. Thus, there are no meaningful games left for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2014 season. Meaningful games are the most fun to televise. Therefore, while it is good for our TV team that our team is very successful, it sucks that we have no meaningful games left this season. This Cardinals team will breeze to the playoffs.

2 Deaths

I witnessed 2 deaths today. The first death occurred in the 6th inning of the Cards/Brewers game. Our TV truck died. We lost all power to the mobile unit for about 20 minutes. But, miraculously, our TV truck came back to life. The second death I witnessed today was the playoff chances of the Milwaukee Brewers. Before they had even lost today's game by the score of 9 - 1, they were done. They were done mentally. They were done physically. They botched relay throws and showed no effort on a catchable foul ball. Done. In first place for 150 days this season and now they will not make the postseason. Yes, the Brewers postseason hopes died today. I know. I watched it. Unlike the TV truck they will not come back to life.

How?

How did the Cardinals win this game? They beat the Brewers in Milwaukee by the score of 5 - 3. They scored 5 runs on 4 hits and the recorded 3 errors in the bottom of the 1 st inning. The Redbirds didn't even have a base hit after the 4th inning and it seemed like the Brew Crew threatened every inning. I guess games like this happen when you have won 7 of your last 8 games and you are playing a team that has won just 1 game in it's last 11. As soon as we were off the air, I thought "How in the hell did they win this game"?

Much Better

Maybe it was the game. Nicely played with some good pitching. Maybe it was luck. Every successful telecast needs some luck. Whatever it was, this telecast was night and day better than last night's show. The Brewers broke out of their slump - losers of nine straight - and the Cards suffered their first loss after six wins. The TV team broke out of their one telecast funk with a good show. Let's see what tomorrow's game/telecast brings to the table.

Nice Win, Shit Show

It is too bad that we had an awful telecast on the biggest game of the year. There was little if any pace to this abortion. We even had a MASSIVE whip on the air. This was a big, big win for the Cardinals as they beat the Brewers in Milwaukee by the score of 3 - 2. This 3 - 2 affair took 3:25 to play. That means it took a long time for the victory, but it also means there was 3:25 of shit on Cardinals Television tonight.

Just Great Fun

The Pirates/Cardinals series ended today with a walk-off 1 - 0 win in the bottom of the ninth inning. Great, great fun. Just great, great fun. This was the most enjoyable series of the 2014 season. This was the best pitched series of the 2014 season. This was the best played series of the 2014 season. This was the most exciting series of the 2014 season. Great, great fun indeed!

Finally

Since 2000, the Cardinals have fielded some very competitive teams. Teams that one just knew they were going to win the game. This was especially true when Albert Pujols was playing for the Redbirds. When televising such teams the TV production team can deliver the telecast in a very confident fashion. Well, for the first time during the 2014 season, the TV team is feeling that confidence on the field and it is carrying over to the telecast. Before the season started, this Cards team was picked by many to run away with the NL Central division. Today, September 2, the team is starting to prove that prediction correct. The confidence displayed on the field is creating a very enjoyable experience in the TV truck. This enjoyable experience is carrying over to the telecast. Thus, Cardinals Nation is feeling it as well. Finally.

Once Again

Once again the Cardinals came from behind to win a game. This time the victim was the Pirates. The Redbirds scored 3 runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and held on to win 5 - 4. I get so pumped when Busch Stadium is rocking and it rocked a bunch of times today. There was a pinch-hit 2-run homerun to tie the game followed later by a 2-out base hit to take the lead. The final out in the top of the 8th inning and the final out of the game both came on strikeouts and both came when the crowd was going crazy. Like the players, I believe the TV crew feeds of the frenzy of the crowd. This game/telecast was electric and to be part of it was an absolute blast!